By Curt Williams: Recently on my radio show Room 101 I had one of my good friends JG Vibes on to speak about philosophy’s role in today’s day & age (listen here). When people hear the word “philosophy” a lot of us, me included at one time, think academics.Maybe they think that in order to be a “philosopher” you need an academic degree. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Another pre-conception about philosophy is that it’s just about asking deep questions like: “who am I?” “Why are we here?” “Is God real?” “What is real?” and so on. Although these questions are asked quite frequently in philosophical circles, there is a very personal aspect to philosophy.
For instance, an individual suffers from depression, a constant feeling of being overwhelmed by the stresses of the world. Something all of us feel, but for some it is just too much and those people rush to the psychiatrist for today’s quick fix pill. A lot of times going they have already diagnosed themselves thanks to that informative commercial paid for by the very poison factories that make your quick fix, get better with no effort pills.
Well actually the real help is in the effort. As JG Vibes mentioned during our talk, when the negative feelings like depression creep up, that’s when we should embrace it, instead of running away from it and suppressing it with pills.
You may ask, why am I feeling this way? I don’t I know, it can’t be that simple. Everyone is different and there is no single quick fix or solution. Try understanding what it is you are feeling exactly. One of the greatest sources of fear is the fear of the unknown. Once knowledge and understanding are brought into the equation, fear subsides.
Therefore, a greater understanding of the unknown within you can only result in solutions for a better life. Only then are we are free, until then we are prisoners of our own mind, even though we are part of the “awake” crowd. I can sum up my point by saying that in my journey, some of the greatest and most valuable lessons I have learned have been discovered in my darkest times.
Our culture is one that relies on external solutions to the problems we face, never looking inward. My point being, you should start at home.
Listen, and you can call me a defeatist if you like, but we are not going to end the Fed, the economy is not going to turn around, the wars are not going to end and all the protest all around the country seems to be doing nothing but giving local “peace officers” a chance to utilize their little toys from the DOD. With QE3 alive and well and more US military occupation around the world in our future, it’s not looking too bright. Social fragmentation has a grip on us like no other and is the immediate problem we face. When you can’t even meet the very basic necessities for day to day survival it will not matter to you whether 9/11 was an inside, outside, CIA, Mossad or a Santa Clause job. What will matter first and foremost is survival and nothing else.
I think I’m accurate in saying that the economic challenges alone will be extremely tough to make it through as a single family. If you think that just you and your wife/husband and children with the no other help from family or friends are going to make it through this A-OK, you’re a fool, and a damn proud one too.
I don’t care how much food you have stored, you can’t store enough to live off of for the rest of your life can you? So where will the food come from when the Spam and beans run out? Do you and your family alone have the needed skills to keep the food coming in? I will venture to say that most of us do not have the needed skills to keep ourselves fed. Unfortunately a lot of people will resort to violence in the midst of desperation. Are you and your family prepared for that?
It has never been more apparent to me that the time to drop all petty differences and pull together as a people is now. It’s actual way past due. It actually should not be something that needs a crisis to kick start. We need to be mending the bridges, not burning them down. This all starts by being motivated by love and compassion for our fellow brother and sisters not hate, contempt or a fake love like during the holidays, everyone is just a little bit nicer to each other. Why? Must be the anticipation of all the useless crap we will be getting.
So to wrap this all up, be kind to yourself. In times of great uncertainty it can be quite easy to lose hope. Don’t! As I mentioned before, some of the greatest lessons I have learned came from my own darkest times. We are facing dark times. It’s not the end though. Will it test us? Yes. Will it break some of us? You bet. Will a lot of us see our way through it all? Absolutely. The choice is ours.
No comments:
Post a Comment